UPDATE: Semi Catches Fire At I-74 Rest Stop

A hot break may have sparked a fire that damaged a tandem-trailer semi at the I-74 rest stop near Batesville Tuesday morning.

Indiana State Police Sgt. Noel Houze said a 2009 Freightliner semi driven by a trucker from Lexington, Kentucky pulled into the I-74 rest area for a break.

“Before the driver exited the vehicle he heard a couple of popping noises and thought something had struck the windshield. Upon further examination he discovered a fire that appeared to start at one of the tractor tandems possibly from a hot brake,” Houze said, adding the cause is still undetermined.

The trucker called 911 and the Batesville Fire Department came to the scene to put out the fire. Nobody was hurt. The fire is still under investigation.

Houze said that there is currently there is a solid sheet of ice on the entrance ramp to the rest area and INDOT has been called to treat the area. No injuries resulted from the incident.

Original story posted at 7:46 a.m.:

(Batesville, Ind.) – A semi truck caught fire at the rest stop on Interstate 74 eastbound just east of Batesville.

The fire was reported just before 7:00 a.m. Tuesday near the rest stop entrance ramp. The blaze was put out about 30 minutes after it was reported.

With the fire out, crews on scene are now concerned with the water sprayed on the truck freezing on the entrance ramp. Firefighters requested that highway crews bring salt or sand to the scene.

It is unclear if anybody was injured or what type of load the truck was carrying. A cause of the vehicle fire has not been released.